Victory for Kris Meeke and Paul Nagle in Portugal
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MEDIA INFORMATION 2016 FIA World Rally Championship Vodafone Rally de Portugal Soft tyres for the morning loops and hard tyres for the afternoon stages: victory for Kris Meeke and Paul Nagle in Portugal The 2016 Vodafone Rally de Portugal concluded today (Sunday, May 22) with victory going to Abu Dhabi Total World Rally Team’s Kris Meeke and Paul Nagle. The DS3 WRC dominated from start to finish after claiming five of Friday’s six ‘long’ stages to go 31.9s clear of Ogier/Ingrassia (Volkswagen Motorsport) by the end of Day 1. They then extended their lead on Saturday morning with further fastest times on SS10, SS11 and SS12 to emerge 1m2.9s ahead after ‘Amarante 1’ (SS12, 37.67km). After that, they focused on controlling from in front until the finish. For the soft, damp ground of the event’s morning stages, the preferred choice of practically all the drivers was the soft-compound MICHELIN LTX Force S4, but certain crews switched to the harder alternative for the repeat visits in the afternoon. Meeke and Nagle, for example, chose hard tyres all- round for Friday afternoon but opted for a combination of soft and hard tyres for Saturday afternoon. In the wake of the Abu Dhabi Total World Rally Team pair, spectators were treated to a thrilling scrap for the remaining podium positions between Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia (Polo R WRC) and Sordo/Marti (Hyundai Motorsport) on Friday, then between the world champions and Volkswagen Motorsport team-mates Mikkelsen/Jaeger on Saturday and Sunday. The Norwegians’ tenacity was rewarded with the silver medal, while French youngster Eric Camilli and his co-driver Benjamin Veillas were fifth overall – behind Sordo/Marti – after posting some eloquently fast stage times. “The decision to nominate the MICHELIN LTX Force S4 as the main tyre for Portugal proved to be a judicious one,” notes Jacques Morelli, manager of Michelin’s FIA WRC programme. “In 2015, the chief option was the hard version of our gravel world championship tyre but the crews tended to favour the soft compound, of which only a limited quantity was available. That said, it’s important not to underestimate the difficulties of the stages in this part of Portugal. The top-coating can be quite soft but with buried rocks underneath in places and these can get thrown up by the cars. The MICHELIN LTX Force S4 performed well in 2015, however, so we judged that their strength and durability were sufficient to cover an entire competitive loop.” Michelin also won in WRC2, a class in which there is invariably a close fight between different tyre manufacturers. Sweden’s Pontus Tidemand (Skoda Fabia R5) won the category after emerging at the top of the 2016 Vodafone Rally de Portugal leaderboard on Day 1. Didier Laurent – [email protected] – Phone: +33.6.75.60.50.62 Alessandro Barlozzi – [email protected] – Phone: +33.6.42.23.55.93 The same soft-compound MICHELIN LTX Force S4 as that used in Portugal will be the nominated choice again later this year in Poland, Finland and Wales. These three events feature different types of surface and potentially contrasting weather conditions. Michelin’s tyres for the 2016 Vodafone Rally de Portugal For the 2016 Vodafone Rally de Portugal, the WRC drivers will be able to use up to 24 tyres from a total individual package that features: - 24 MICHELIN LTX Force S4s (soft compound) - and 16 MICHELIN LTX Force H4s (hard). The maximum number for the WRC2 runners is 22 tyres to be chosen from the following allocation: - 22 MICHELIN LTX Force S81s (soft compound) - and 16 MICHELIN LTX Force H91s (hard) The J-WRC competitors will be able to use up to 22 tyres from a basic allocation of: - 22 MICHELIN TZS 81s (soft compound) - 16 MICHELIN TZS 91s (hard) Total number of tyres available for the Vodafone Rally de Portugal: 1,925 - WRC = 690 tyres - WRC2 = 700 tyres - J-WRC = 535 tyres The tread pattern of the MICHELIN LTX Force S81 and H91 are symmetric, while that of the MICHELIN LTX Force S4 / H4 and TZS 81 / 91 are asymmetric (a different tyre for left- and right- hand side of the cars). The MICHELIN LTX Force H4 and MICHELIN LTX Force S4 Size: 205/65R15 (17/65-15) Width: 205 mm Sidewall height: 133 mm Interior diameter: 15 inches Tread pattern: asymmetric and directional (i.e. a left-hand side and a right-hand side tyre) Surface: non-sealed surfaces Use of the H4: aggressive, hard-wearing surfaces – dry ground – temperature: >15°C Use of the S4: wet or damp dirt – temperature: <15°C Rallies where the H4 is the nominated tyre: Mexico, Italy, Australia, Spain Rallies where the S4 is the nominated tyre: Argentina, Portugal, Poland, Finland, Wales Didier Laurent – [email protected] – Phone: +33.6.75.60.50.62 Alessandro Barlozzi – [email protected] – Phone: +33.6.42.23.55.93 Michelin’s staff for the 2016 Vodafone Rally de Portugal Michelin will have a total staff of 21 in Portugal: - 1 manager - 2 senior managers - 1 press officer - 2 development engineers - 4 technical team advisors - 2 coordinators - 9 fitters The following Michelin vehicles will be in Portugal: - 2 truck workshops - 3 tyre-carrying trucks - 1 motorhome (office and hospitality) Didier Laurent – [email protected] – Phone: +33.6.75.60.50.62 Alessandro Barlozzi – [email protected] – Phone: +33.6.42.23.55.93 .